


Best Friend's Brother

by IsthisthereallifenoitsjustJeremy



Category: The Avengers (2012)
Genre: Gen, M/M, not so short this time, random short drabble
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-06
Updated: 2013-03-06
Packaged: 2017-12-04 11:55:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,914
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/710526
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IsthisthereallifenoitsjustJeremy/pseuds/IsthisthereallifenoitsjustJeremy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Clint thinks he might like his date's brother more than his actual date.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Best Friend's Brother

**Author's Note:**

> This was really just me attempting to write more love for some of my other ships so enjoy! shoot me an ask at my tumblr if you liked it or if you wanna leave a comment :-)

Best Friend’s Brother

/ _Why can’t I tell if he’s looking at me? Should I give him a smile? Should I get up and leave? I know it’s strange, I don’t know what I’m thinking; but is it wrong if I see him this weekend? I really hope I can get him alone, I just don’t want her to know… My best friend’s brother is the one for me, punk rock drummer and he’s six-foot-three. Sometimes I feel like he might make a move, is this all in my head? I don’t know what to do. And he’s such a dream, and you know what I mean; if you weren’t related…_ /

Clint walked up to the door, taking a quick breath before pressing the doorbell. He waited a few seconds before the door opened for him. Natasha smiled at him briefly before opening the door even wider.

“I’m just finishing up getting ready. You can wait in the living room if you want.” Nodding slightly overeagerly, Clint brushed past her, heading for the living room. Entering, he saw that there was somebody reading on one of the couches. He was cute in a geeky way, hipster-looking glasses that actually served a purpose balancing on the bridge of his nose and wavy dark hair fell into his face. Clint plopped down beside him, grinning.

“Hey, are you on a date with Tash too?” He joked, earning an awkward smile from the other boy. He shook his head minutely, but kept that small smile. “Name’s Clint, what’s yours?” He said, offering his hand. He was met with a curious look as the other kid reached to shake Clint’s hand.

“Name’s Bruce.” The kid said, with a half-smile. “You’re on a date with Tash?” He said with a quiet laugh.

“Uh… yeah?” Clint offered, his brows furrowing together. Bruce laughed again as he shook his head. “Is that a problem?” Bruce chuckled to himself.

“Oh no problem. And to answer your question, no I’m not on a date with ‘Tash’.” Clint could almost hear the quotation marks around the name, “She never mentioned you before. Just caught me off guard is all.” Bruce smiled slightly again.

“So, are you the gay best friend or something?” Clint asked, honestly curious. Bruce looked him up and down, smirking, before answering.

“More ‘brother’ than ‘best friend’ but yeah pretty much.” Clint reeled back a bit in shock.

“Brother? I never knew she had siblings.” Bruce cracked a small smile at that.

“Well, not blood or anything but yeah we are practically family. We were adopted together.” Clint nodded thoughtfully. Huh.

“So where do you go? School, I mean.”

“I’m taking online courses for the moment.” Clint waited for a few pauses before realizing Bruce wasn’t going to offer any more. He leaned back to level a look at him. Bruce shifted uncomfortably as his stare dragged on. Finally, he looked over at Clint.

“What?” Clint shrugged, not dropping his gaze.

“You’re just a chatty Cathy aren’t you?” Clint smirked as Bruce blushed.

“Sorry. Trained at an early age to keep quiet.” There was a pool of some emotion Clint couldn’t distinguish lurking behind those words. It sounded bitter, yet regretful and lost and oh so sad. Bruce shook himself as he half-smiled again at Clint. “Sorry. Again. I barely know you yet I’m about to spill my whole life story on you.” He chuckled self-deprecatingly. It made Clint want to say something.

“Maybe I want to find out.” Clint couldn’t tell where the voice came from, until Bruce looked sharply up at him. Oh. The voice was his. He hadn’t even meant to say anything. Bruce’s eyes were a little softer around the edges, and Clint noticed that he had hazel eyes which looked slightly green in the current light. He hadn’t realized that they were sitting so close until Natasha walked in.

“Oh hey, Bruce! Nice of you to leave your lab for once.” She said, making both of the boys to jump about a foot apart on the couch. “Clint? You ready to go?”

Clint looked from her to Bruce, who was now absorbed in his book again.

“Have fun.” He mumbled from his seat. Clint stood up, stretching.

“Say, what book is that anyways? It looks pretty interesting.” Clint asked, attempting an offhand attitude. Bruce looked up then, eyes trained on his.

“Take Nat on a second date and maybe you’ll find out.” His eyebrows quirked as if in challenge.

Natasha laughed as Clint grinned, walking with her out of the front door.

****

At the restaurant, after they had had their entrees taken up by wait staff, Clint decided to broach the subject of Bruce.

“So… that was your brother?” Clint asked hesitatingly. Natasha considered him coolly for a few pauses before answering.

“We take care of each other. I promised him I would get him out safe and I keep my promises. We both got adopted and now here we are. I don’t really like talking about it much especially without him around.” She said, a warning note in her voice. An obvious sign to drop it. Which Clint could not.

“I like him. You guys obviously care about each other. That takes a lot of guts to do what you did and you must’ve been one hell of a woman to keep your promise like that.” Clint nodded. Natasha’s eyes widened, even as her shoulders visibly relaxed. Clint noticed, but did not say anything about it. Natasha looked down at the table even as she whispered.

“You have no idea.” Shaking her head, she continued staring down. “There were days that I wasn’t sure I could, but I did my damnedest for that kid. If anybody deserved to make it out, it was him.” She looked up and met Clint’s eyes, tears shining in her own. “He had already been through so much by that point when I met him. What with the orphanage director Fury, and then his first foster family tried to ‘militarize’ him, I’m surprised he let me in.” She took a deep breath, fortifying herself. “But we’re here now. And the past is past.”

Clint sat back in his chair, trying to absorb the sudden onslaught of information. Taking a breath as well, he reached over and gripped her hand.

“Thank you… for telling me.” She smiled and shrugged nonchalantly.

“It is the past. ‘The dead stay dead, they cannot speak’ and all that.”

“Christopher Rice. Read it as a senior in high school.” Natasha’s eyes brightened.

“Really? I’m impressed. It’s not every day I meet a person that knows the quote.” Clint smiled devilishly.

“It’s not every day I meet a beautiful woman such as yourself.” Natasha laughed, covering her mouth with the back of her hand.

“You flatterer.” Clint raised his hands in mock surrender.

“Now call me any words you want, but I always tell the truth.” He said with a wink. She looked at him in much the same way that Bruce had, even as she smiled.

“Of course. I believe you on that.”

****

Over the course of the next few weeks, Clint felt that he and Natasha had grown really close. He wanted to ask her out, but for some reason every time he did, she would find a reason to not make it a date. She would usually bring Bruce and it would just turn into them just hanging out. He smiled as he thought of Bruce. When they had gone bowling, Bruce could not bowl to save his life. It was only until Natasha ran up to him, whispering into his ear something that had him stiffen in surprise, that he had gotten better. He and Bruce had been growing closer together, while he and Natasha seemed to have reached an impasse. It puzzled him to no end.

It was only one day, when Natasha had mysteriously disappeared in the middle of movie night and left him with Bruce, that he figured out what was going on. He and Bruce were sitting close on the couch, watching The Hunger Games when Bruce’s foster mom and dad came in.

“Oh! We’re sorry kids, we’re just passing through.” The man in the pressed suit said.

“Where’s Tasha?” The woman asked Bruce, who was trying to ignore them in favor of bamf Katniss.

“She left. Don’t ask where, I don’t know.” She nodded before turning her attention to Clint.

“And who might you be?” Clint’s eyes widened comically as Bruce snickered to the side of him.

“Um… I’m a friend?” He offered weakly. He would admit it. He was scared of this woman. He could’ve sworn he saw one corner of her mouth pull up into a half-smile, but then it was probably his imagination.

“Oh well in that case,” She said, smiling. “I’m Maria. That’s my partner, Phil.” Phil nodded in lieu of greeting. “We’ll just leave you two to your date now.” She said, turning and walking with Phil into the dining room. Clint turned to look at Bruce.

“Phil? Is that her husband?” Bruce just shrugged, his eyes still on the T.V.

“As far as I know, they’re not together. Just friends or something.” Clint scrunched up his forehead at that, trying to imagine it. He couldn’t. Then, something hit him. Rather spectacularly, if he thought back on it.

“Wait, did she say date?” Bruce blushed, even as he shook his head. “Is that why Tash left? So you could move in on me?” Bruce flushed an even deeper color.

“No, no no. It’s not like that, I swear. I mean. Well, no.” He scratched the back of his neck nervously. Finally, he sighed. “Okay, so a little. But I thought you were gay. And frankly so did Nat. I was just hoping maybe…” He shook his head. “I’m sorry. Very sorry. I don’t usually do this, but Nat was determined and she said she knew and I’m sorry.” Bruce looked so miserable that Clint felt the need to reassure him.

“Oh, no it’s no problem…” Clint tapered off. He was actually considering it. How it would feel to kiss Bruce, to hold hands with him on the couch while watching movies. It sounded… really nice actually. And yeah, he was upset that Natasha had led him on, but he realized he didn’t really feel that way about her. He only saw her on a superficial level. With Bruce, he had gotten to know Bruce, his past and his wants and dreams. He decided then. “Actually, shouldn’t you be kissing me? If this WAS a date…” He let that hang in the air, trying to lure Bruce closer. Bruce looked over, raising an eyebrow. Clint fought the urge to roll his eyes, as he grabbed Bruce by the shirt, dragging him closer. Bruce yelped, before he was being crushed to Clint’s body, kissing fiercely. Clint thought he was going to pull away, until Bruce snapped out of it and began to respond. Enthusiastically. Clint pulled away when his jeans began growing too tight around the groin. He saw that Bruce was also dealing with the same problem. They both grinned at the other, laughing at the absurdity of the entire situation. It was then that Natasha reappeared.

“Oh, about time. Bruce? You owe me $10.” She then walked off into the dining room, doing who knows what. Clint turned his attention to Bruce, who was blushing furiously again.

“You made a bet on me?”

**Author's Note:**

> tumblr- isthisthereallifenoitsjustjeremy.tumblr.com


End file.
